the killing lights
by Seph Meadowes
Summary: Nine children away from their home, each one of them with a story of their own. The tales of the Loric nine.
1. what a shame, what a sad disgrace

9._ Fragile_ that was the word One would forever use to describe that day of fire and death and echoing screams. _Fragile_ like glass that would break once you pressed on the cracks. Their world was imperfect, _fragile_, so easily destroyed like they were nothing until all he could remember was the smoke in his lungs and the tears of a younger girl with sunshine hair and the prettiest brown eyes.

_8. Rage_ had been like acid in One's veins for years. The _rage_ brimming in his gut every time he and his cepan moved from town to town, from cold houses to seedy apartments, it's quiet, almost unnoticeable even. But it's there none the same, just below the surface. Because the _rage _kept him sane as he tried to forget the memories of a home he may never come back to and _rage_ made him try to stay alive more. Just so he could get his revenge one day.

7. _Cautious _what they had to be as they moved through the cities of Malaysia, the dark eyes of the people staring at them curiously every time they moved to a new town, the other students mesmerized by the blue of his eyes. It was ironically hard to blend in when he looked so different from them but his cepan thought this was a safe place and being _cautious_ was the only thing that would keep them alive. So they stayed and he went from school to school, trying his best not to look like a freak.

6. _Crush_, it wasn't something he had very often. It wasn't lasting, wasn't infinite, it was only something they had here on Earth and not on Lorien. Sure, there were the occasional pretty Earth girls with their welcoming smiles and long legs. There were times even he couldn't keep himself from staring especially at the ones with sunshine hair and doe eyes like the scared little girl he met on the ship and held in his arms so perfectly as if she was meant for him. He could only hope he would see her again.

5. _Inspired _was such an exhilarating emotion as he wrote word after word on paper, the ink staining his fingertips and splotching on the crisp white paper. What an interesting art it was, to write and to create a perfect world of his own, to trap an emotion trapped between letters and see how it could affect people in the most amazing of ways. It was _inspired_. A fantastic enthusiasm in his bones as he wrote and wrote until his hand started to cramp.

4. _Apprehensive_ the only thing he could only be every time his cepan went out to do something by himself. _Apprehensive_ was what he felt in between the minutes of mind-numbing solitude as he waited in his house for his cepan to come home. _Apprehensive_ was dawning on him every time his cepan wouldn't answer his calls. _Apprehensive_ was the only thing left to be when he realized he was all alone.

3. _Fear_ that was the emotion One could feel when his cepan didn't return after a few days. He knew, just knew with his mind shouting at him that his cepan was gone and he had to leave. So with a few Mars Bars, some clothes and forged documents in his backpack, he hopped in the car and drove off. He was now completely alone and the _fear_ would never let him forget it.

2. _Tired_ which was the only thing could feel anymore these days. He was tired, from running and always looking over his shoulder for anyone who'd like to take a stab at him. But he was running out of places to run and he had no one there to help him, he was all alone. The sad little alien boy so lonesome, so sad and so _tired_. But he doesn't stop even when he feels like doing nothing but to shout from the frustration because it was unfair, so damn unfair. And there were just days that he felt like he couldn't handle it anymore.

_1. Tranquil_, such a funny word to describe how he felt. But nonetheless, he felt _tranquil _as he waited for them, his would be murderers, the monsters that took away his home, his family and all that he knew from him. But it was strangely _tranquil_ in that dark ruddy apartment because he knew he'd see them all again, his family, his people, maybe the eight others he never met, even his sunshine girl. Perhaps, he thought as he wrote down the last words on the paper, death could be _tranquil_.


	2. such a pretty face, she's not regretful

9. _Tender _were the hands of a young boy with coal black hair and sky blue eyes who held Two in his arms as she cried for the lives of their people and the loss of their home. The look in those blue eyes were so _tender_, his fingertips hesitant on her small frame as he hushed her to sleep. In a cold ship with the grim smiles of their cepans and the echoes of their world on fire, he was so _tender_, a contrast to the horrors they tried to leave behind.

8. _Surreal _was the word Two would use to describe how it felt to jump from town to town, the cold London rain not too far behind and the grey of everything made her feel like she was stuck in a dream. What a _surreal_, endless dream where she wonders if the idea of a home was surreal as well. It was all _surreal_, this life they led and if you could even call it that.

7. _Foolish_, her cepan called it when Two told her she wanted to learn how to play the piano. It was foolish really, such a childish, unnecessary thing for her to learn. It wouldn't help her against the enemy, it was _foolish_, learning how to play Beethoven and Mozart wouldn't save her from anything. But Two was insistent, as _foolish_ as it was, she liked to melody she created as her fingertips graced the keys.

6. _Pretty_ that was what they all kept calling Two. What a _pretty_ face you have darling! Oh so _pretty_, so lovely with her blonde hair and your doe eyes. They smiled at her because she was _pretty_, they said she was _pretty_. But Two didn't care for what they said, not even the boys with their longing looks, all she could think as she looked into the mirror was if the little blue boy would've found her _pretty_.

5. _Melodic_, the sweet sound as Two's fingers danced on the keys, the wonderful creation of brilliant men brought to life. It was _melodic_, the humming feel in Two's fingertips as the notes floated in the air. Her teacher's laugh _melodic_ as she praised her prodigy's work.

4._ Lonely_, Two couldn't help but feel it. Like it or not, she was a teenage girl and even with her cepan around her, she wasn't a stranger to feeling _lonely_. Maybe it was her fault, this feeling of being _lonely _now, because she could've made friends at her schools. But she couldn't get herself to accept the advances of those nice boys, she felt like she already gave her heart away to a little blue boy.

3. _Curiosity_ welled up in Two's throat as she stared at the note her cepan left her on the kitchen table when she arrived after wasn't the first time, her cepan had gone to investigate something but nothing Two could do could quench thefeeling of_ curiosity_ in her. But maybe it was nothing to be alarmed about, hopefully.

2. _Devastated _was all Two could feel as her cepan ran into the music room, her dark red blood spilling unto the once immaculate floors as she told her to run away, run away now. But she couldn't get herself to leave her cepan, she'd be more _devastated_ if she did. They'd been together since day one and nothing would change that.

1._Sadness _overwhelmed Two as they arrived, tears welling up in her eyes as those…those monsters approached. The grand piano fell to the floor in a loud mess, her _sadness_ wrapping around her even more like a thin coat. _Sadness _gripped her as she held her cepan's dying body in her arms and she cried as she remembered sky blue eyes and the tenderest touch.


	3. it's killing time again

9. _Confused_ was all Three could feel as he stared at all the other children around him, too young to understand, to even grasp what was happening around him. What a poor _confused_ little boy. He could only stare _confused_ outside glass windows as the fires engulfed it all, the stars bright as ever.

8. _Excited_ was all Three could grasp as they moved from village to village, in the deep of forests and under a yellow merciless sun. There were just so many things to explore, to see and feel and this _excited _him like nothing else. But his cepan really wasn't that _excited _when he wandered in the woods by himself and nearly gave the older man a heart attack. Heh.

7. _Bored_, man, Three was _bored_. And he couldn't help it if he got _bored_. Because really, let's see you spend weeks in a hut doing nothing but reading thick textbooks and watching the scenery outside your window and let's see if you don't get _bored_! He dared you.

6. _Stupid_, it sounded _stupid_, really it did. And to some extent Three's cepan was right. But _stupid_ he'd allow himself to be if it meant no longer being bored. He could only stand cabin fever for so long and nothing was better than seeing the open sky above you and feeling the grass underneath your feet as you ran through the thick forest. So yes, he was _stupid_.

5. _Sheepish _smiles were like signing your own death sentence when faced with Three's cepan whose face looked ready to erupt like a volcano. Not that he'd ever seen an actual volcanic eruption but he imagined his cepan was doing a good job imitating one. The man looked ready to kill and Three continued to shine him with _sheepish_ smiles – and oh man, here came the sermon! His _sheepish_ smile quickly melted away.

4. _Blame_, Three never did put that against One and Two. Because he remembered being that confused little boy on that ship being offered to play with the two oldest kids whose hands were always entwined with each other's. And even when they had to move again, from another village to another, another forest to another, it was okay. Because Three couldn't_ blame_ anyone for the markings on his leg, the sings of dead people echoing inside him. It made him shiver.

3. _Silence_, everything always seemed to start with that. One moment, he's happily sleeping the night away in his cot, the next his cepan's killed._ Silence_ was a damn misleading thing. _Silence _was supposed to mean peace and all good things. Not a sign of the ugly bastards with amphibian nostrils. He vowed to himself as he jumped out their cottage's window, he was never trusting_ silence_ again.

2. _Adrenalin _pumped through Three's veins like he just drank an entire crate of Red Bull. Because he had to run, run so fast they couldn't catch him. _Adrenalin_ was almost intoxicating with the sound of his blood thumping through his ears and the cold feel of humid air in his lungs. It gave him the power to ran faster, faster, so fast they couldn't catch him, they wouldn't catch him. They just couldn't.

1. _Freedom_ he'd been hoping to see it before he died. He hadn't been that too promising about his future, he knew after One and Two he was the next target but a part of him that part that watched the starts every night trying to guess which one of them was Lorien from a far, secretly hoped beyond all reason. Because a part of him wanted to believe that they could win, that they could taste _freedom_ once more. And those thoughts of _freedom_ clouded his mind as he ran through the trees, death hot on his tail.


	4. put on your face, let's pretend

9. _Despair _was the constant emotion Four felt whenever he thought of Sarah, Paradise and the almost normal life he experienced. Sometimes he would think about if he was just born a simple human boy then he wouldn't experience such _despair _in his life. He could be with the girl he loved and live a perfectly normal life with her, no Mogs on his tail, no fake identities, and no snarky Six calling him a sappy douche every five minutes.

8. _Selfish_, self-centered, self-serving, pigheaded, tool, pussy, asshole, jackass, bastard - and a hell of a lot more he'd been called by Six. Apparently it's _selfish_ to just want a normal life with a normal girlfriend, it's _selfish _to not want to have to run for your life and watch your back all the time, it's _selfish _that he wished he didn't even have to fight in this damn war he never asked for. And you know what else sucks? Six is complete right.

7. _Intense_, that's what that moment was like. He was in the middle of an _intense_ war with only he's nerdy human best friend and an _intense_ blonde alien girl for company and he just misses Sarah and the way her kisses tasted like. So he was lonely and Six was bored (or so she said) and he found himself talking to her about Sarah with her rolling her eyes and scoffing at his descriptions. And there he was, describing the taste of Sarah's lips when Six suddenly grabbed his face and gave him the most _intense _kiss of his life. He doesn't really know why he didn't push her away. She'd later just smirk at him and saunter off.

6. _Want_, he's not supposed to feel that at the moment. He's not supposed to _want_ Six with all her attitude and anger issues. Sure, she's beautiful- gorgeous really and she did tend to distract him every time she'd tie her hair up and show that long graceful neck. But he shouldn't _want_ her! He had a girlfriend, he had Sarah. And his kind only fell in love once and he already found his one and only.

5. _Confused_ he was. This was one of the moments Four wished his cepan was still around because apparently the man lied about the whole 'just once and only once' thing. If that stuff was true, he'd only be thinking about Sarah and only Sarah. He wouldn't have any _confused_ feelings for Six and her damnably intense kisses. He wouldn't be so_ confused_ about this if Henri was here to explain everything. Also he just missed the guy.

4._ Lust_, that's all it had to be. He was a teenage boy with hormones, alien or not, and that meant it was normal for him to have feelings of _lust_ for girls. It was perfectly normal for him to _lust _after Six like a drooling, starving hyena. It was _lust _every time she'd invite him into her tent at night when they were sure Sam was asleep, it was_ lust_ when they'd leave Sam at the motel to get 'groceries' and disappear for two hours straight, it was _lust _when she'd sneak him those dangerous little kisses every time Sam wasn't looking. All of it was just _lust._

3. _Denial_, he had a serious case of because nowadays that's all he could do. He went into _denial _every time he had to think about Sarah and why he kept continuing doing - whatever it was- with Six. He went into _denial_ every time Sam would ask what was up with him and he was acting so weird. He went into _denial_ when Six would crawl into his bed at night just to cuddle for warmth and he went into _denial _when he remembered how much he liked it. He went into_ denial_ about it all because he couldn't look himself in the mirror anymore.

2. _Compare_, he'd do it sometimes at night when he would lie awake in bed with Six's soft breathing on his neck and her arms around him. He'd _compare_ the two girls, Sarah and Six, and just think about and how different they were. Sarah was softness, kindness and everything he ever wanted. Six was all attitude, fire and was the force that kept him pushing to fight the odds and win this damn war. It was totally unfair to _compare_ these two polar opposite girls. But he…he loved them both and he knew he had to make a choice.

1. _Choose_, the very prospect of doing it scared the hell out of him. How could he possibly make the right decision and was he sure that he'd be happy with it? How could he _choose_? It was almost cruel to have to _choose_! But then Six just grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach and her blue eyes spoke volumes. He gaped like a fool at her for a full minute before he swallowed and made his decision.


	5. the air is sweet, I've had my mouthful

9. _Slate_ was the shade of grey that was the color of the walls of their cold ship, their escape boat, their little prison. Five would scratch her blunt fingernails on the surface of the_ slate_ walls as Two cried while One held her lovingly in his arms. _Slate_ such a cool and neutral color but it was the shade that would echo in Five's soul for the rest of her life.

8. _Marigold_ was the color of the sun as it set against the sky. The heavens were a myriad of so many colors. Five had a hard time making them all out but she didn't mind. She loved sunsets, thought they were the most beautiful thing there were in this world and she would spend every day watching the _marigold_ sunset. When the _marigold_ sun would disappear, she'd close her eyes and for a moment, the screams were gone.

7._ Ivory_ was the shade of the canvas as Five thought of what masterpiece to create. She'd chew her bottom lip, furrow her eyebrows and roll up her sleeves as she struggled to find inspiration. Picking up a brush she'd dip into bright paint and let the color smear the_ ivory_ surface. She's unsure for a moment before her eyes brighten and the brush danced in unending swirls. Later, she'd stare into the forgotten memory of Lorien captured on her once _ivory _canvas.

6. _Chocolate _were the eyes of a boy who called himself Sam. Sam, I am, no he did not like green eggs and ham. _Chocolate_ was such a lovely shade of brown to have for eyes and they were lovely and sweet just like him. He smiled apologetically at her, his lovely c_hocolate _eyes all she could see, before he grabbed her hand and dragged her off with him, the enemy right behind them.

5. _Magenta _was the exact same shade her cheeks would burn whenever Sam would talk to her. Her heart would race, her palms moistened and her mouth dry whenever he was near. She'd look at her reflection and see _magenta_, bright _magenta_. She'd look at Four whenever Six would smile at him and see _magenta_. She'd smile at Sam and see _magenta_.

4. _Cerulean_, the color of the blue liquid Seven held in his hands. He was so clever, so brave and he had in his hands the weapon to beat their enemy. But at what price? _Cerulean_ was such a nice and unassuming color. It was so different from what their weapon was about to do…so many dead bodies on the floor, all _cerulean_, ivory and slate.

3. _Crimson _was the color of hate, anger, blood and war. _Crimson_ was the screams of anguish, horror and rage. _Crimson_ was the color of love, passion and desperation. _Crimson_ were the lips of her chocolate-eyed boy, the promises of lovers and the guilt of a clever but foolish boy. _Crimson _was the color of pride, endings and hollow victories.

2. _Onyx _was the color of the night as Five waited by Sam's bed, waiting for him to wake. She'd stare outside the window at the dark _onyx _sky and wait for the stars to come out and shine. They never do but she waited and waited. Her hands would caress through Sam's soft onyx hair and wait. She'd wait no matter how long it would take.

1. _Sage _was the color of grass underneath her feet and the leaves of wild flowers._ Sage_ was the color of the tree leaves, the shade cool as she lay underneath, Sam's head in her lap as he stared up at her, eyes thoughtful. He would tell her he loves her _sage_ eyes, her beautiful _sage _eyes and she'd just smile. She'd wake up from this dream soon and wait for him to follow.


	6. but it seems I'm tired of screams

9. _Bright _were the light from their burning world. Six watched the _bright_ lights from the window of their ship her_ bright_ eyes staring ominously at the destruction before her. Meanwhile, an equally _bright_-eyed boy slept peacefully in the ship. Her fingers would brush over the blond hair on his forehead and she swallowed her tears.

8. _Warm_ was the climate of the Australian outback. She'd go out in the middle of the afternoon, the sun bright and _warm_ in the sky and enjoy the heat on her skin, tanning it gold. _Warm_ was Katarina's smile when she did well during training and _warm_ was the wind against her face as they traveled through another town.

7. _Lonesome _Six felt when Katarina was gone. She felt _lonesome _as she moved from town to town, looking searching for the others. She felt _lonesome_ until she reached America and she saw the video of a bright-eyed boy on the internet. She would find him and no longer feel _lonesome_.

6._Idiotic_, that was the first word Six would associate with John._ Idiotic_ Four. _Idiotic _John. How could he be so_ idiotic _to fall for Sarah? How could he be so _idiotic _to do so many_ idiotic_ things because of Sarah? How could he be_ idiotic_ enough not to notice what he was doing to her?

5._Foolish_ it was Six knew when she first kissed Four. He tasted perfect like she always imagined and it was unfair and cruel. Because he still loved Sarah and she was _foolish_ to thin k it would change how he felt about the perfect earth girl. How could she be so_ foolish_ to think he would love her? What a _foolish _little girl she made.

4. _Content_, it'd been a while since Six felt that. She hadn't felt it since Katarina and growing up and the enemy hot on her tail. Being content was such a foreign feeling it almost made her sick. She hadn't been _content _in such a long while it felt surreal. Maybe it was all just a dream but being with Four, with John made her _content_ like nothing else.

3._Affection_ was the emotion swimming in Four's eyes as he stared down at her. He looked at her with so much _affection _it made her feel small and loved and cared for. His _affection _made her confused and nervous and unsettled but it also made her feel happy. Because it was his _affection_ that made her feel whole, something she hadn't been for the longest time.

2._Screams_ were everywhere as she stared at all the dead bodies around her, Seven's weapon working like a charm. What was the price for victory but the death of so many people? The _screams_ were everywhere, echoing around her, inside her. And as Four held her in his arms, she realized, the _screams_ were hers.

1. _Hope _was something Six didn't dare feel. With all that's happened to her it seemed almost cruel to try and feel false _hope _but then there was Four and she finally started to feel it. And she stared at the baby in her arms, his bright blue eyes staring up at her and she felt so much_ hope_ it made her heart swell.


End file.
